Well, THAT escalated quickly.
If you don’t know what I mean, you must be reading this from the future, or from a faraway land somewhere over the rainbow.
But I am referencing COVID-19 — The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
Just when we all thought 2019 sucked and we were so excited for the future, 2020 was all like, “hold my Corona…”
What, too soon?
No but really, every day here in the States has presented new closures, new numbers, percentages, and new ominous “IT’S COMING” vibes.
Things were in a very different state of operation mere days ago.
I cannot speak for everywhere, only where I live, which is Hendersonville, NC, that maybe once used to be a sister city to Asheville. We are in the neighboring county to Asheville, so not all directives that apply there apply here just yet. But in Asheville, restaurants and grocery stores are now closing and that’s where I start to really squirmy about the situation, when the food supply comes into question. Like most other places, schools are on hold, most people have been asked to work from home though plenty still have to go into work, all non-essential appointments are cancelled. I’ve been asking some folks from all over the country, “how is this affecting you?” and I will talk about some of those responses in my next post as it’s been REALLY INTERESTING to hear everyone’s situations.
But first…
…I just want to submit my unsolicited comments on what exactly the fuck IS going on right now. I’m not here to act like I’m a doctor, nor do I think the Coronavirus is something to scoff at.
BUT EVERYONE HAS GOT TO CALM DOWN.
When we STAY in this heightened sense of raw emotion, FEAR, of the unknown, of death, of being a statistic, of “what are other people going to think if I say out loud that I went to Wal Mart for diapers”, we become so on edge and anxious and VOLATILE that we’re bound to either be easily controlled – mentally and physically, blow up on those we love, or worry ourselves to freaking DEATH, or maybe even all three.
Are there things we can do to calm ourselves here!?
100000% yes.
And, I can only speak this to the “average” person who may be working from home right now because their office has shut down, who is quarantining themselves and their families, who is trying to maintain some semblance of sanity from the comfort of their homes. Let’s call this group Scenario A.
In other words, I do not pretend to know what it’s like for the healthcare workers who are in their offices and clinics just WAITING for “things to start happening” or maybe those who are seeing an increase in cases right under their nose, who have to get their temperatures taken on the way in the door, who get asked questions whether they’ve had a dry cough or fever on the daily, who have no idea which one of their patients may have this virus or come into contact with someone who did. The people who have directives to wear masks, to treat people, who are short staffed and working long hours and are very scared of what every day will hold. The people who have very frightened patients calling them terrified, crying because no one in their family is allowed to visit, confused or ill because they are afraid to go into a doctor’s office at this time.
I simply cannot put myself in your shoes and I won’t presume to know how you feel.
But I think it helps to understand the virus itself, really try to read as many sources as you can on this, don’t be swayed by one news outlet and memes and premature statistics and fear mongering, okay? Because it’s EVERYWHERE RIGHT NOW. The more you know, the more arsenal you have in your head to be smart about this thing.
It doesn’t feel like it’s near enough to say THANK YOU to the people who are on the “front lines”, who are expecting to see sick people and severe complications and the risk of infection to themselves and potentially others, and yet they are still there, every day, ready to fight for our species.
So, I want to scream an enormous and heartfelt THANK YOU from a humble Carolina gal in Scenario A, waiting it out like many others.
I also can’t speak to the people for instance who have 7 kids and are single parents with very little options or help, but have to go to work anyway because their bosses told them they had to or they wouldn’t get paid, or maybe even fired. Not getting paid might mean not paying bills or keeping the lights on or the kids fed.
Or the people who work for or own a small business who have had to shut their doors in a complete financial loss for an unknown amount of time, and some forever. While I hear small business bailouts are in the works from the feds, I cannot imagine the anxiety you all feel every day when you can’t relax with your family because it constantly feels like everything you’ve worked for is at stake.
No, I can’t speak for everyone. I just cannot claim to know what it’s like in your shoes although I have a lot of hope that we’ll get through this all, together. I openly recognize that “getting through it” is easier for some than others.
So for those of us under Scenario A, can we talk for just a second? I wanted to offer my take and my tips for how to stay somewhat together as we wait this thing out.
Here we go.
- BE SMART. Try not to go out to unventilated social gathering places unless you have to. I know the fear of running out of diapers or formula. Those are necessities. But people are willing to share in times of crisis, so checking with people you know or in local Facebook mom groups is a great place to start should stores start closing and/or deliveries halted. If you have things planned that are NOT ESSENTIAL — why risk it? How many times in your lifetime will you be told to just stay home on the couch??? I think this time, we should just listen and lay low. Take the time to become familiar with the types of things that we should be stocking up on and take inventory of what you have. Identify the essentials and be prepared. Now is not the time to be a rebel or selfish.
- Please stop calling people DUMB and STUPID and IGNORANT because they aren’t doing what YOU would do in this situation. Not everything is as it appears and you know nothing about why people are in public at this point in the game. Turning against each other in every way because of that emotion that’s driving all of our ships right now — YES YOU GUESSED IT, FEAR — is counterproductive. If we didn’t find out who can’t get along when Trump got elected, we bout to find out real quick when the Coronavirus comes to town. Can we just love thy neighbor, yes? Please remember the line above: getting through this is easier for some than others.
- If you are GLUED TO YOUR TV and clinging to every new headline — TAKE A FREAKIN BREAK. Hit the red button and turn. it. off! I’m not saying not to be in the know or to be willfully ignorant here, but you have to give yourself breaks or you WILL give yourself a coronary. Would you want to go to the ER for that right now? No, I didn’t think so. Please give yourself some mental space to just BE and BE GRATEFUL and while you are of course allowed to be fearful as it’s one of those most basic human emotions, your brain needs a minute to think for itself rather than just be bombarded constantly with scary jargon and videos on a loop. Our reality is what’s going on right here (not Italy, not Spain, not China, but HERE) and we can only do our best to control our own actions while staying focused on those we love and the choices we make to protect them, and ourselves.
- WORK ON KEEPING YOUR FAMILY AND LOVED ONES HEALTHY. Be prepared and boost everyone’s immune systems with whatever remedies you see fit for your household. I have seen an article showing vitamin C to be effective against this virus and while I did not research every word to prove it wrong or right, I’m just sayin’ I have my personal supply of sodium ascorbate on lock….GET SOME SUNSHINE so we aren’t all mopey stuck inside lacking all that vitamin D and outdoor curiosity. Give extra hugs to your family every chance you can — those good 20 second holds that actually have healing properties, if your family (ahem, KIDS) will hold still long enough 🙂 Drink enough water, eat enough food, get enough sleep. And please PLEASE try not to freak out about what is to come — being in a stressed out state lowers your immune system (cortisol alters a whole lot in your body, actually) and we all need to be as strong as we can right now. Laugh, be silly, be loving, be active, be THERE and be SMART for your people.
- FIND PRODUCTIVE THINGS TO DO. Social media consumption is so often NOT productive. I keep saying that by putting yourself out there to be hit with ads, memes, news articles, opinions, and everything else — you are forgetting how to think for yourself, because all of these things tell you what to think. They further trigger your emotions, because THAT’S how people are influenced. Instead, put that energy into other things — like reading that book you’ve been putting off. Doing crafts, storytime, games, fort building, watching your favorite classic movies with your kids (is stock in Disney+ going up right now, or nah?). Going for walks outside. Teaching your kids about spring and checking out everything blossoming out there. Adopting a new hobby or learning a new skill. Journaling. Working on your business and doing those tasks that you usually put off. Reaching out to your friends to help ease their minds, as well as your own since everyone has their own perspective here in these unprecedented times. COUNTING YOUR FREAKING BLESSINGS because, man, right now it’s essential for all of us to remember what is most important in life.
- HAVE A HEALTHY ROUTINE. I know that stocking up on a budget for some people means a lot of non-perishable and/or long-lasting items like 90 second rice (guilty!), canned soups, frozen processed lasagna and hot dogs out the wazoo. I know this. But I had a day early this week where I did not eat enough in this adjustment period while making sure the kids were fed, the grocery list was made, checking to see if all of our appointments were either happening or not happening, and I just kind of forgot to eat. I felt emaciated AF by the afternoon, totally foggy, out of energy, anxious, shaky and HANGRY. Proper nutrition supports our bodies in so many ways, y’all. Please remember to eat (and eat the dang breakfast!), to brush your teeth (I didn’t think I was gross but with all this upheaval and a constant caffeine flow in the form of coffee, sometimes 4PM rolls around for me and this is [shamefully] still not checked off), and TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. We have plenty of time now to take the bath, put on the face mask, do the deep conditioning treatment, whiten those teeth, read the personal development and really take the time to unpack it and apply it into our lives, make the food, etc. to keep ourselves fueled, healthy, happy.
- HAVE A STRESS OUTLET. My main outlets at the moment are working out and pouring into others. During my workouts I fight through plenty of things that make me want to straight up quit, sometimes I cry, sometimes I make noises akin to those of some wild beast living on a remote Pacific island during its’ mating season, SOMETIMES I surprise the shit out of myself and beat my own records, but ALWAYS I can remind myself that I’m a strong ass person who gives it her all. THIS IS IMPORTANT to carry over into life outside of my garage gym because it in no way only applies to weight lifting, endurance and cardiovascular exercise — it applies to my mind, my adaptability, my outlook. As for being there for others, my Pisces empath qualities make me a great person to listen to your fears and hopefully to help bring you peace through conversation and potty humor, and I enjoy helping people find solutions to their roadblocks. It relieves some of my own stress knowing that some people can sleep easier after getting things off their chest. What are you doing to relieve the nervous energy you more than likely feel right now? It HAS to go somewhere — for the sake of your own sanity, LET IT OUT.
On that last note, I will be opening a FREE virtual gym with my business partner, complete with 10 complimentary Beachbody workouts, meal plans, tips, inspiration, and FUN because with all the gyms closed, I know many folks are looking for an alternative and some positive community to “surround” themselves with. I will provide more details on this ASAP as we are still working out the kinks on the fly! If you want in on this, please email me @ ksweeney006@gmail.com with the subject line “Free Virtual Gym” and I’ll start the process for you.
You could also fill out a Google form application here.
I had a team call last night with my Beachbody fam, and we had special guest Trent Shelton as our speaker! I saw him back in November at Rachel Hollis’s RISE Business and he just drops so many truth bombs in YO FACE that really get you thinking.
He gave us a nice pep talk in the face of all this crisis yesterday and one of the points he made was that in these trying times, we realize that money and material things are just THINGS, and it becomes instinctively clear to us what IS most important – shelter, sustenance, health, love.
Without those, what do we have?
And lastly, to drive home my point, he also mentioned that your mindset can either be your power, or your prison. WE have the POWER of optimism, WE have the POWER of hope, WE have the POWER of capability and we owe it to ourselves to be powerful against all threats rather than paralyzed by our own minds.
Now go back and read my 7 tips above again and identify how you can be powerful during this unprecedented event that is so trying on us all. Please don’t be a prisoner.
Because you know what?
This is freaking tough.
But we’re tougher.
